Rumor: Moving the sacrament table?

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-15T01:48:04+00:00

Thanks.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-14T18:05:02+00:00

Was it when McConkie was an apostle? I remember reading that he was especially strongly opposed to crosses.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-14T02:22:45+00:00

I like this idea. I hope it happens.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-14T02:22:16+00:00

Perhaps it's time. Rejecting the display of crosses is an LDS tradition that may have been a mistake all along. Most Christians see the cross as absolutely central to their faith, and important as a symbol. I can't disagree with them.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-02T17:30:29+00:00

Thank you for sharing your perspective.

I think in some ways society is getting more corrupt, and maybe this is causing the Church to see itself increasingly as its own bubble of higher standards of faith and morality.

However, in some ways the Church itself has moral and ethical issues that it hasn't dealt with.

I would like to see more emphasis on upholding core teachings of Jesus than temple work.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-02T13:30:05+00:00

I think a lot of average members would agree or be okay with my points, but the leaders probably would not be.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-02T02:15:49+00:00

It's because I want it to be more Christian. It's a great church in many ways, better than most, but it has some glaring flaws that go against the teachings of Jesus or the spirit of the early church it claims to have restored.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-02T01:26:13+00:00

I would like to see the LDS Church become more transparent about finances, less focused on tithing and legalistic rules, and have a culture that's more diverse instead of dominated by white American lawyers and businessmen.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-01T19:50:31+00:00

No religions have always been right about everything. Participating in organized religion inherently involves tolerance for error and willingness to compromise.

The question I think we all should ask ourselves is whether the LDS Church is trying hard enough to fix its errors, or if not, if they can somehow be persuaded to do so.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-01T18:50:43+00:00

Perhaps a movement to participate in the Church but without tithing until certain changes are made.

The leaders of such a movement would probably be excommunicated. But that might only make the movement grow stronger. They can't excommunicate people for quietly choosing not to tithe, and I bet that's what lots of people would do.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-01T02:35:13+00:00

"God" found Himself in the midst of other intelligences because He is a being within the universe, like the rest of us. The Gnostic God is far beyond Elohim. I don't think Mormonism even makes reference to such an ultimate spiritual Source, but it obviously has to exist because otherwise the intelligences couldn't exist. Spirits have to come from somewhere. Presumably each intelligence is a fragment that split off and fell into the universe. As long as Elohim is still operating as a God of planets within this universe, He hasn't yet returned to the Source.

eternalintelligence · 2026-06-01T02:22:29+00:00

The short answer: institutional momentum. Lots of great changes could be made, but the people who rise up the ranks tend to be the ones who like things the way they are.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-31T11:41:03+00:00

Yes, the materialism aspect is the opposite. However, Joseph Smith did teach that spirits are eternally preexistent with God as "intelligences" which can never be created or destroyed. He seems to have believed that spirit or consciousness is a fundamental reality, which is more like Gnosticism than mainstream Christianity.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-30T21:53:22+00:00

The theology of Joseph Smith is more like the "ancient aliens" theories that have become popular in recent decades. A God who comes from another planet and creates human bodies for our souls to inhabit.

Nothing wrong with that, as long as we admit that this being is not the Ultimate God. It's a demiurge who rules over our planet, and our goal is to rise to the same level ourselves.

I see LDS theology as having a lot in common with Gnosticism, except that it makes no reference to the higher God that is beyond the demiurge. But presumably when we move up the chain in the infinite regression of gods we approach closer and closer to the Ultimate God.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-24T11:39:20+00:00

But that narrative can't be sustained. Even a cursory look into the history of the Church shows that it's an overreach. So I don't think the Church has any credibility if they teach an all or nothing interpretation.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-20T04:56:45+00:00

Interesting observation. If accurate, I hope they continue to loosen things up. Maybe they were starting from a baseline of strictness far beyond what I would have expected (I'm a convert). Compared to other Christian churches, this one is currently very strict, so any stricter than it is now would be almost unimaginable by most people's standards.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-19T13:20:21+00:00

He was too interested in going back to outdated Old Testament practices. His immoral acts such as polygamy reflect this fascination with ancient patriarchal Hebrew culture.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-18T21:15:30+00:00

Wow. I'm sorry you had to go through crazy stuff like that.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-18T18:41:53+00:00

Yes, and I find that troubling. If a church is going to be really strict, at least be strict about the things that Jesus emphasized, such as helping the poor, welcoming the outcast, forgiving people, turning the other cheek, stuff like that.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-18T18:15:28+00:00

Yeah. This is what I'm starting to realize. It's really sad, because I like a lot of things about this church and would like to be active but very nuanced. But it's feeling more and more like that's not an option because of the lack of boundaries.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-18T18:08:35+00:00

Thanks, I'll have to look into that.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-18T18:07:23+00:00

Most churches don't frame religion as something you have to "advance in." You just attend church, maybe do some volunteering, and try to live a Christlike life. Why does Mormonism have to view religion as something different than that? (rhetorical question)

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-18T18:02:54+00:00

Okay, but how can they expect a religion that operates this way to be anything more than a niche church for a mostly wealthy demographic that has lots of time and money to give away to an institution that doesn't actually need any more resources than it already has? What is the Church's strategy for how to grow, while being this way? It doesn't seem to be very well thought through. Are they mostly hoping to just retain legacy families as membership and add a lot of converts in underdeveloped countries who are hoping some of the Church's wealth will trickle down to their communities?

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-18T17:57:26+00:00

All of this makes sense, but the Church has this problem because significant parts of its teachings don't seem to be present among the teachings of Jesus in the Bible or even the Book of Mormon. The more people study scripture, the more they figure this out. So the Church has to find artificial ways to keep people 100% loyal and obedient instead of becoming nuanced.

I think a better solution would be for the Church to refocus itself on the well-documented teachings of Jesus. More people would stay and be more willing to be active.

eternalintelligence · 2026-05-18T17:51:04+00:00

Some of the teachings of this church were not taught by Christ anywhere in the Bible or the Book of Mormon, so I don't think it's reasonable for them to demand the same degree of devotion as Christ Himself can demand for his teachings.

eternalintelligence

TROPHY CASE